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queergoth_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I was definitely expecting something different when I started this book. If I had realised it was more literary I don't think I would have been as disappointed as I was with this.
Overall I think it was a good book but it wasn't really a horror and my expectations were all wrong. I didn't find sympathy for any of the characters except maybe Kendra and think she could have done this a bit more at the end.
Overall I think it was a good book but it wasn't really a horror and my expectations were all wrong. I didn't find sympathy for any of the characters except maybe Kendra and think she could have done this a bit more at the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racism, Gore, Blood, and Misogyny
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, and Homophobia
Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia
indiarosey's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Murder, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, and Homophobia
mxajlikesbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Homophobia, Violence, Body horror, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Sexual content
Minor: Gore, Infidelity, and Alcohol
armstrongangela83's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Racism
onewoman_bookclub's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Racism, and Gore
Moderate: Homophobia
apersonfromflorida's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Blood, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, and Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Medical content
caspian's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
incredibly well-written and an interesting story . however i will never read it ever again. i don't think horror novels that center on the trauma + suffering of black ppl is creating the narrative the author might think it is
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Homophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism
abookwormwithwine's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Reprieve by James Han Mattson is one of those books where I don't really know what I just read, but I know that I liked it. It is described as social horror, which is a genre I had to look up to fully understand what it meant, and now that I do I can say that it is a clear representation. The weird thing is that I feel like a lot of this book went over my head and all of the characters were really hard for me to keep track of, and yet I can't say I didn't like it. I had no idea what to rate it, but the more I thought about it, the more I knew it deserved more stars than I was initially thinking. The plot ultimately leads to the murder and which contestant was killed, but the meat of this story is really about the different characters and a ton of various social stigmas. I really liked how the characters ended up tying together, but I am sure I missed some things as well.
The writing style Mattson uses in Reprieve is very unique as well, which I think is something major that will make it not for every reader. It was interesting to see how this translated into the audiobook, and I think if I ever do a reread, I would read the actual book and make a LOT of notes. The narrator of the audio is JD Jackson, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about his narration. On one hand, I really liked it, but when I was looking at the book in comparison to how he was reading it, I think I missed out on a lot of inflections and emphases on certain words. This is a pretty long book, and the audio is at over 12 hours, so if you don't see yourself being able to sit down and read it, the audiobook would still be a good option. And do prepare yourself for lots of blood and gore. The Quigley House is downright terrifying, and I can tell you right now there is no way I would ever step foot in that place. I loved the escape room bit, but the things they had to do to get out are very graphic and disturbing. Reprieve is not a story for the faint of heart and that's for sure.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The writing style Mattson uses in Reprieve is very unique as well, which I think is something major that will make it not for every reader. It was interesting to see how this translated into the audiobook, and I think if I ever do a reread, I would read the actual book and make a LOT of notes. The narrator of the audio is JD Jackson, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about his narration. On one hand, I really liked it, but when I was looking at the book in comparison to how he was reading it, I think I missed out on a lot of inflections and emphases on certain words. This is a pretty long book, and the audio is at over 12 hours, so if you don't see yourself being able to sit down and read it, the audiobook would still be a good option. And do prepare yourself for lots of blood and gore. The Quigley House is downright terrifying, and I can tell you right now there is no way I would ever step foot in that place. I loved the escape room bit, but the things they had to do to get out are very graphic and disturbing. Reprieve is not a story for the faint of heart and that's for sure.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Violence and Homophobia
thecoolestmoe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Homophobia
kylieqrada's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Ok what in the actual Lord Jesus Hallelujah was THAT MESS?!?!?!? First of all, I could not put it down. I devoured it in like 3 sittings. Second, it scared the everloving pants off of me. I was very thankful for the breaks I got to sike myself up for the next cell. Third, the social commentary/social horror element of this was just everything. It was so worth scaring the sh!t out of myself to experience this. Life truly is the real horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, and Violence